Thrown out of an abusive home, Suki pretends to be Devin's girlfriend while she stays with his family. But what happens when pretend feelings become real? ***** With nowhere to go after being thrown out of an abusive home, Suki asks Devin, a complete stranger, if she can stay the night with him. But what was supposed to be a short-term solution quickly turns into an open-ended promise: if Suki pretends to be Devin's girlfriend to ward off his pushy (if loving) mother, then she can live in his spare bedroom until she sorts out her life. But what happens when pretend feelings become real? Will Suki be able to overcome the fear and pain in her past in order to heal and fall in love? [[1st Place, The Rarity Awards, Romance Category]] [[1st Place, Skull Awards, Romance Category]] [[1st Place, The Royalty Awards 2017, Romance Category]] [[1st Place, The Gold Awards 2017, Romance Category]] [[1st Place, The Holo Awards, Romance Category]] [[1st Place, The Z Awards, Romance Category]] [[1st Place, The Purple Awards, Romance Category]] [[word count: 70,000-80,000 words]]

He needs a place to live, she needs a baby daddy. Pietro Santangelo and Marguerite White are students at prestigious Columbia University in New York City. She is a fun-loving, free spirit who finds herself in a bit of a familial bind, he is an exchange student with a chronic case of poverty. They concoct a plan that they think will work, not realizing how much changes with two simple words... Pete merely looked at her and opened a box of books. He took some out and began placing them on the shelves, bending and stretching at his task. He had a nice back, broad shoulders and muscles that could be seen clearly under his light blue T-shirt. Daisy watched for a minute, fascinated. "Like what you see?" he asked without turning around. She jumped at the sound of his voice. "Well, you're the only thing in the room that's moving, you know?" she said by way of explanation. He turned around to look at her, books in either hand, a small grin on his face. "Of course, what was I thinking?" he asked rhetorically. "And look. We're both adults here, hm?" He looked carefully at her. "The couch we just brought up here cost fifty dollars at the second-hand store, and has to be at least thirty years old. I don't want to sleep on it, and I don't think you're going to want to sleep on it, either." She shook her head. "So the bed is nice and big," he continued. "I think we can manage, don't you? We can share the bed." He watched her for her reaction. "I give you my word this is not going to be a problem for me. At all. Is this going to be a problem for you?" She looked at him. "Really? At all?" She recovered from the unintentional meaning of his words quickly. "No, it won't be a problem for me, either," she said firmly. "We can share the bed." Content warning: This story contains mature sexual content, and themes of premarital sex and sexual assault.